The complexity and difficulty of maintaining data centers has grown in proportion to the number of computing nodes maintained at each site. Issues faced by those who administer data centers have include the collection of diagnostic information from computing nodes that have failed and the use of that information to identify and correct hardware and software issues.
A management controller is a device used to facilitate the exchange of diagnostic information. Typically, a management controller is embedded in the motherboard of a server computing device, and permits client devices to interact with and obtain data, through the management controller, that pertains to the operation of the server. Although a management controller may be embedded on the motherboard of a computing device, the management controller is typically isolated from its host computing device and may continue to operate even when the host encounters a fault. However, the interfaces between the management controller and the host may operate at relatively low speeds.